The measure of a country’s progress must and should not be calibrated and gauged solely and exclusively on economic growth or how much GDP or GNP growth has risen. Economic growth is often over-emphasized by many Western economists and business school types. In truth, China’s real growth is best gauged at the overall quality of life, and the wholeness of its civic, civil, moral, ethical, spiritual, and other non-economic society. In short, is China’s laobaixing enjoying a “kinder, gentler, more compassionate, more human society.”

You are correct in saying that China is at the cross-roads.

That said, one cautionary advice — how the Chinese people shape or decide as to the model of their own country’s political direction must necesarrily be the prerogative of its own masses, its laobaixing, from within…. and not be dictated from the outside by the West or Westerners, with their minions, running dogs, and Chinese compradores.
America and Europe. Butt Out. Shove it. The era of gunboat diplomacy and hectoring China from the West, of the Cold War, of containment (encirclement) of China from without, and destabilization of Chinese society from within, is over. The train has left the station without the West.

I think that is harsh line to take against the so-called “West.” If anything, the West has been extremely acquiescent during China’s growth. The expansion of peaceful international commerce by way of the US was one of the major accomplishments of the past century, and it has been highly beneficial to China in particular.

Who is practicing “gunboat diplomacy” these days in the West? The China-Japan spat over the fishing captain bears much more resemblance to that tactic than anything the US has done to China.

I saw you quoted in a Bloomberg story on Chinese inflation today–great comments.

There was an interesting ending to the piece.

>>>Rising prices are also prompting housewives like Lily Huang, 50, to travel once a month to Hong Kong from Shenzhen in southern China to stock up on items including toothpaste, shampoo and tissues.

“Things are much cheaper here,” said Huang, carrying a suitcase and three bags full of groceries at Sheung Shui train station next to Hong Kong’s border with China. A packet of Tempo tissues is 30 percent cheaper in Hong Kong, she said. “It’s really worth the trouble for us to come here to shop.”<<<

If you want to be a world player, with soft power and influence, you had better be able to take the criticism of others. China is on the world stage now, no longer flying below the radar screens and it cannot expect the rest of the world to inhale all the nonsense that China spews forth to its citizens in image spin.

Get used to it, my friend. People are going to criticize. Best to try to understand if there is a rational basis for the criticism and try to see issues clearly and impartially.

And by the way, I do hope the Chinese masses will decide their own form of political direction…last I heard though, the masses don’t have a lot to say in who leads the country.